Shillong: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit poll-bound Tripura and Meghalaya on Sunday and inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of projects worth more than Rs 6,800 crore.
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement that the projects encompass a wide array of sectors, including housing, road, agriculture, telecom, IT, tourism and hospitality.
In Agartala, the prime minister will launch the "Grih Pravesh" programme for more than two lakh beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban and Rural - schemes.
In Shillong, the Prime Minister will inaugurate, dedicate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects worth over Rs 2450 crores in Meghalaya besides attending a golden jubilee celebration of the North Eastern Council, officials in Shillong said.
Modi will also inaugurate the sprawling campus of the IIM-Shillong at the New Shillong Township, they said.
Accompanied by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other dignitaries including chief ministers, governors and MPs of all eight NE states, the PM is also set to inaugurate the Shillong - Diengpasoh Road constructed with an aim to provide better connectivity to the new Shillong satellite township and decongest the city.
The Prime Minister will also be virtually inaugurating four other road projects in the state and those in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, an official said, adding that a Spawn Laboratory at Mushroom Development Center and a Beekeeping Development Centre will also be inaugurated.
According to a top DoNER official, 21 Hindi libraries in Mizoram, Manipur,Tripura and Assam will also be inaugurated virtually from here as well as lay the foundation stone of six road projects across the state, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura.
The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of the Integrated Hospitality and Convention Centre at Tura and Shillong Technology Park Phase -II that is targeted to add more than 3000 jobs in the near future.
The PMO in its press release also noted that the NEC was formally inaugurated on November 7, 1972, and it has played a key role in the region's socio-economic development by supporting various infrastructure projects and development initiatives.
It has helped create valuable capital and social infrastructure, especially in critical gap areas of sectors, including education, health, sports, water resources, agriculture, tourism and industry, the PMO said.
The PMO noted that Modi has focussed on ensuring that everyone has a house of their own. In a key step towards this, he will be launching the 'Grih Pravesh' programme. These houses developed at a cost of over Rs 3,400 crores will cover over two lakh beneficiaries.
With a focus on improving road connectivity, the prime minister will inaugurate a project for widening of the Agartala bypass (Khayerpur-Amtali) NH-08, which will help ease traffic congestion in Agartala city, it said.
He will also lay the foundation stones for 32 roads of more than 230 km in length under the PMGSY III (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana) and for improvement of 112 roads covering a distance of over 540 km.
The State Institute of Hotel Management at Anandnagar and Agartala Government Dental College will also be inaugurated by him.
Both the states are heading for assembly polls, which are likely to be held in February. While the BJP is in power in Tripura, it is working to boost its strength in Meghalaya.
